Making a Murderer effect
UncommonThe phenomenon where a true crime documentary mobilizes public opinion and real-world action around a criminal case.
Can be used critically when the public's reaction is seen as mob justice, or approvingly when it leads to genuine systemic scrutiny.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | that new doc is already getting the Making a Murderer effect. people are filing petitions. | The documentary is generating organized public action similar to the 2015 Netflix series. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | Making a Murderer basically invented the idea that a netflix doc could change a legal case | The series established a new template for documentary social impact. | reddit, 2022 |
| 03 | not every true crime doc deserves the Making a Murderer effect treatment. sometimes the person is just guilty. | Cautioning against treating every documentary as a call to relitigate the case. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | the Making a Murderer effect is wild. a streaming show caused more scrutiny than the appeal process. | A documentary created more public and legal pressure than formal legal channels. | youtube, 2022 |
Use it when
- A documentary creates significant public pressure on a legal case.
- Discussing how streaming content can influence real-world justice conversations.
- Describing the cultural ripple effect of a true crime series.
Do not use it when
- You mean a documentary was just popular or well-reviewed.
- The public reaction was minor or stayed online.
Origin and context
Named after Making a Murderer, a 2015 Netflix docuseries about Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey. The series generated massive public response and renewed legal scrutiny of both cases, establishing a template for how streaming documentaries can affect real criminal proceedings.
- First seen
- 2015
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/making-a-murderer-effectUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0